Stepping into the New Year, Citi India jointly with The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), India’s premiere art and culture institution, invites one and all on a stirring journey to explore and celebrate the vitality with which artistic traditions keep redefining and rejuvenating themselves, through an innovative festival of Indian music – Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant: From Here to Eternity.
Presenting works that are deeply embedded in tradition, yet seeking to reach out into the infinite realms of creativity, fostered by the contemporary socio-cultural milieu, the Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant Festival of Indian Music premieres in Mumbai on January 7 & 8, 2012, at the NCPA, then travels to Delhi on January 25 & 26 and Bengaluru on February 10, 2012.
The first edition of Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant will feature some of India’s greatest musicians like Zakir Hussain, Kaaraikkudi Mani, Anindo Chatterji, Rashid Khan, Shujaat Khan, Ashwini Bhide, Taufiq Qureshi to name a few.
The festival is based on the juxtaposition of the concepts of eternity and those that are bound by time, and how the two co-exist in our lives. The concept of eternity (anant) denotes that which has neither a beginning (aadi) nor an end (ant). It is inherent in Indian philosophy, where time is viewed as being not linear, but cyclical.
Specially conceived by internationally renowned tabla wizard Zakir Hussain, the first performance on January 7 at the NCPA, Mumbai, is a creative blend of melodies from the north and south India, as well as from the world of jazz. The maestro explores the frontiers between traditional and contemporary musical expressions on the canvas of diverse melodies, leading to a fiesta of pulsating rhythms that take listeners into a world of masterful innovation and fusion. Zakir Hussain will be accompanied by the ‘Godfather of Indian Jazz’ Louiz Banks (keyboards), Ganesh Rajgopalan (violin) known for blending virtuosity with an innovative approach and Rakesh Chaurasia (bansuri), nephew of flute maestro Hariprasad Chaurasia.
January 8 at the NCPA, Mumbai, Rashid Khan (vocal) and Shujaat Khan (sitar) begin with solo presentations followed by an encounter, wherein the voice and the instrument explore the common meeting points to strike a meaningful musical dialogue.
K.N. Suntook, Chairman – NCPA, said “January is special at the NCPA as we try to give a special message through our music genre. ‘Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant: From Here to Eternity’ is a step towards formalising that effort through a new festival in partnership with Citi India. The Festival attempts to showcase traditions with innovations. Across all three cities, we’ll present some of the finest Indian musicians.”
As leading organisations, Citi and NCPA have been trendsetters in their respective fields. With a firm commitment to serve the society, both organisations share a passion to promote Indian culture. With this festival, Citi and NCPA salute the Indian legacy, as well as heartily welcome innovations, with a hope that together they can preserve and spread its fragrance to the generations to follow.
Pramit Jhaveri, CEO, Citi India, added, “Citi is a patron of the arts worldwide and in India in particular. Through our long-standing relationship with the NCPA, either as Chief Patron of the much acclaimed Symphony Orchestra of India, or through the Citi-NCPA Guru Shishya Scholarship program for deserving musicians, Citi has reinforced its passion and commitment to preserving and nurturing the culture and heritage of India. Not many know that Citi celebrates its 200th year anniversary in 2012. Moving into a new century, we are dedicated to taking this deep-rooted partnership and mission a step further and are delighted to announce the Aadi Anant Festival of Indian Music. A unique property, it will showcase music that has emerged from the traditional, yet keeps evolving – a philosophy that has been essential for us as an institution to grow, improvise and innovate over the last 200 years, and one that will build and strengthen a legacy for future generations.”
Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant will entertain music lovers in Delhi on January 25 & 26, 2012, with two exhilarating concerts at Kamani Auditorium. Taufiq Qureshi (Djembe), Niladri Kumar (sitar & zitar), Gino Banks (drums), Satyajit Talwalkar (tabla), Sheldon D’silva (bass), Angelo Fernandes (keyboards) will be performing on January 25. The group presents a sonic medley of acoustic instruments, exploring new sounds and creative musical expressions using sitar, djembe, tabla, with electronically supported instruments such as zitar and keyboards. On January 26, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and Sanjeev Abhyankar will come together for the ‘Jasrangi-Jugalbandi,’ beginning with solo presentations and concluding with a Jasrangi duet.
The travelling music festival’s next destination is the city of Bengaluru. On February 10, 2012 Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant will present two back to back performances on the same day at Chowdiah Memorial Hall. Kaushiki Chakrabarty Desikan’s (vocal solo) performance will be followed by Talavadya Kacheri: Anindo Chatterji (tabla), Kaaraikkudi Mani (mridangam), V. Suresh (ghatam) and N. Amrith (kanjira).
Be a part of Citi-NCPAAadi Anant: From Here to Eternity, and kick off 2012 with a crackling dialogue between some of India’s greatest musicians as the NCPA spreads a musical fever across three cities.
